[COVID-19 and stroke]

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the outcome of acute ischemic stroke-A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a common complication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) infection (COVID-19), but the prognosis of these patients is poorly understood.

PURPOSE

To explore the impact of COVID-19 on neurological outcomes in AIS patients.

METHODS

A comparative retrospective cohort study was conducted in 32 consecutive AIS patients with and 51 without COVID-19 between the 1st of March 2020 and 1st of May 2021. The evaluation was based on a detailed chart review for demographic data, medical history, stroke severity, cranial and vessel imaging results, laboratory parameters, COVID-19 severity, hospitalization time, in-hospital mortality, and functional deficits at discharge (modified Rankin Scale, mRS).

RESULTS

COVID-19 AIS patients showed tendency to worse initial neurological deficit (NIHSS 9 (3-13) vs. 4 (2-10); p = 0.06), higher rate of large vessel occlusion (LVO; 13/32 vs. 14/51; p = 0.21), had prolonged hospitalization (19.4 ± 17.7 vs. 9.7 ± 7 days; p = 0.003), had lower chance of functional independence (mRS≤2) (12/32 vs. 32/51; p = 0.02) and showed higher in-hospital mortality (10/32 vs. 6/51; p = 0.02). In COVID-19 AIS patients, LVO was more common with COVID-19 pneumonia than without (55.6% vs. 23.1%; p = 0.139).

CONCLUSION

COVID-19-related AIS carries a worse prognosis. COVID-19 with pneumonia seems to be associated with a higher rate of LVO.

Do Elevated Levels of Inflammatory Biomarkers Predict the Risk of Occurrence of Ischemic Stroke in SARS-CoV2 ?: An Observational Study

Introduction

Stroke, a dreaded complication of SARS-CoV2, has been reported in 0.9 to 5% of SARS-CoV2 patients. There are concerns that SARS-CoV2 infection has a significant independent association with acute ischemic stroke, even in the absence of conventional cerebrovascular risk factors. Whether elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers have predictive value in the occurrence of stroke in SARS-CoV2 is poorly understood.

Aim

To profile the characteristics of SARS-CoV2 positive patients with ischemic stroke (COVID-Stroke) and to identify the significance of elevated IBMs in the prediction of ischemic COVID-stroke.

Materials and methods

Clinical characteristics, stroke risk factors, laboratory parameters- including levels of inflammatory biomarkers, and outcome of SARS-CoV2 patients with stroke (n=60) were collected. SARS-CoV2 RT- PCR positive age, gender, and pulmonary severity matched non-stroke patients were taken as controls (n = 60). Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find the predictors of ischemic COVID-stroke.

Results

D-dimer > 441.8 ng/mL, LDH> 395U/L, ESR >19 mm/h and CRP> 0.2 mg/dL were independently found to be very strong predictors of occurrence of ischemic COVID-stroke (p < 0.001 for each). On multivariate analysis, D-dimer > 441.8 ng/mL, ESR > 19 mm/h, and RDW > 16.1% were found to be the most strong predictors of the occurrence of ischemic COVID-stroke. Conventional CVD risk factors- higher age (> 60years), presence of diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were not found to be significant predictors in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

In SARS-CoV2 patients, D-dimer elevated beyond 441.8 ng/mL, ESR greater than 19 mm/h, and RDW widened more than 16.1% were the strongest predictors of the occurrence of ischemic stroke. This is the first study that attempts to find cut-off levels of IBMs in the prediction of ischemic COVID-stroke.

[A case of cerebral embolism with Coronavirus disease 2019]

A 63-year-old man, who had persistent fever for a month, was admitted to the hospital with sudden left arm palsy with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 3. Consequently, brain MRI showed hyperintensity of the bilateral occipital, right parietal, and right frontal lobes on diffusion-weighted imaging. Moreover, FLAIR presented hyperintensity of the left occipital lobe. Magnetic resonance angiography detected the deficit of the blood-flow signal of the horizontal segment of the middle cerebral artery. He was diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke. In addition, chest CT showed ground-glass opacities, and test to detect SARS-CoV-2 was positive. Cerebral embolism was suspected. However, the source was unknown. His ischemic stroke was possibly associated with coagulation abnormality caused by coronavirus disease 2019.